Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

Annual Meeting And Elections Of The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

ANNUAL MEETING AND ELECTIONS OF THE ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .

The annual meeting of the Governors and Subscribers of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution was held at Freemasons ' Tavern on Friday , the 15 th inst . There was a considerable attendance of brethren , both Provincial and Metropolitan , and the ordinary business was carried through with sufficient

promptitude , notwithstanding some unfavourable criticisms of the expenditure , one particular item in the accounts to which exception was taken being the collector ' s commission , petty expenses , postages , and Stewards' entertainment . As regards these various sums the Audit Report discloses nothing

extraordinary , nothing additional to what has been approved in the past , while the critics were unable to detect anything in the accounts , as passed by the Auditors , which in any way affected the character of the Committee of Management for prudence and economy in the administration of the funds . Indeed , the

objections they raised were such as have been taken to these or similar items for some few years past , and they were met by explanations which have also been repeated from time to time . But , with the exception of this slight expression of discontent , the proceedings passed smoothly . The Annual Report was

adopted , and the vacancies in the Trusteeship of the Institution caused by the deaths of Bros , the Earl of CARNARVON and W . WINN were filled by the election of Bro . C . E . KEYSER , as Trustee of the Male Fund , Bro . HENRY SMITH , as Trustee of

the Widows' Fund , and the Earl of MOUNT EDGCUMBE , D . G . M ,, as Trustee of the Sustentation Fund . As regards the election , there was a considerable amount of excitement , and the report of the Scrutineers was awaited with anxiety by the friends 01 the candidates .

MALE FUND . The number of vacancies on this Fund as declared in February was 14 , of which 11 were immediate and three deferred , but five annuitants had since died , and one had had his annuity suspended , so that the number elected was 20 , the list of candidates including 66 brethren , of whom 16 hailed from London , and 50 from the Provinces and Abroad . In the result it

was seen that success was fairly apportioned between town and country , the former obtaining six of the vacancies and the latter l 4- Curiously enough , two brethren tied for the 1 7 th place , that is , for the last immediate vacancy , and the Committee , as they did tinder precisely similarcircumstances in the election last year , will

no doubt , decide to admit them both , and if so , they will assign the third deferred vacancy to Bro . WILLIAM DAVIES , of Last Lancashire , who stood 21 st , with 2511 votes . The brother who headed the poll was a new candidate—one of two hailing from Hampshire and the Isle of Wight—who scored

3537 votes right off the reel , the Bengal candidate , who brought forward 1198 votes , and raised his total by 226 9 votes , being second with 3467 votes . No . 3 ( London ) started with 196 3 to lls . credit , and finished up with 3287 , while No . 4 , who also "ailed from London , increased his 1066 votes to 3264 . Then

° Uowed a third Londoner , who , with a much smaller number of ° tes in hand , was able to score 3262 votes , and thus secure le fifth place , and then one of the five Devonshire brethren , Wflo had KO at starting and closed the day with

3 °° 7 votes . No . 7—from the Channel Islands—was M ° at his heels with 3062 votes , made up of 9 88 from av > 18 90 , and 2074 polled on this occasion , and one of the Y candidates from Kent stood next with 2972 votes , the bulk which were cast for him at this ballot . A fourth London

can-. ate came next , who began with 682 votes in hand , and had e good fortune to secure 2150 further votes , thus placing his b " % ure at 2832 . One of the North and East Yorkshire Vr > f ' na -d 2247 votes to his credit , obtained 597 more es ? and thus secured the 10 th place ; while the Suffolk

Annual Meeting And Elections Of The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

brother , who made his first appearance on this occasion , was fortunate enough to receive 2815 votes . The next in order was the Surrey candidate , who brought forward 2117 votes from May , 1890 , and improved his total to 2810 ; No . 13 ( London ) having 6 37 in hand , and polling 2117 votes , making

together a total of 2754 . No . 14 , also a London case , scored 2690 votes , of which 8 74 were brought forward , No . 15 , West Yorkshire , 2619 votes , and No . 16 , West Lancashire , 2602 votes , the last two being new candidates . For the 17 th place there was , as we have said , a tie , two of the West Yorkshire candidates ,

one standing over from last year , but with no votes in hand , and the other new , polling each of them 2601 votes . The Dorsetshire candidate obtained 2570 votes , and with them the 19 th place , and one of three applicants from Northumberland the 20 th place with 2553 votes . The next highest on the result

sheet hailed from East Lancashire , and polled 2511 , and in the event of the Committee arranging to assign immediate annuitants to the two returned at No . 17 , the third deferred annuity will become his without further trouble on the occurrence of the vacancy . The four next in order were all London candidates ,

polling 2492 , 2388 , 2220 , and 1652 votes respectively , and then followed a second Hants and Isle of Wi ght brother with 958 votes , a London brother with 8 90 votes , and the brother from Norfolk with 819 votes , there being three others who polled upwards of 400 votes , and who , like the other unsuccessful

candidates will carry these forward to the election in 18 92 . It is worth while noticing that none of the senior candidatesthose whose names had been on the list for five years and upwards—were able to secure places , the one who obtained the highest place on the list being the brother from Hants

and the Isle of Wight , who stood and will stand as No . 1 , and for whom a poll of 958 votes was returned , of which 79 6 were brought forward from his nine previous applications . It will be seen from the results we have stated that the polling was very close , there being less than 1000 votes difference between

the highest and lowest successful candidates , while there were four other brethren who polled upwards of 2200 votes . The number of votes brought forward from May , 1890 , was 18 , 8 77 , and the number issued for this election was 57 , 292 votes . Of these latter 5 6 , 8 3 8 were passed by the Scrutineers , so that 454 votes were unused or spoiled .

WIDOWS' FUND . - The polling for this election . was still heavier , the number of vacancies being 16—13 immediate and three deferred—and the number of candidates 81 , of whom two , however , were withdrawn from the list before the contest commenced . In this election London appears to have put forth a greater amount of strength

and with greater success , eight out of its 30 candidates obtaining places in the successful list , while the Provinces , with 49 candidates , secured the remaining eight . Nos . 1 , 2 , and 3 were all London , and polled 4261 , 4190 , and 4137 votes respectively , the first number including 2929 votes brought forward , the second 2036 votes ,

and the third 297 8 votes . No . 4 , from Kent , scored 4097 votes , of which all but 143 were polled on this occasion , while the next , from the Eastern Division of South Wales , who was the onl y new candidate who found a place in this section of the return , scored 3932 votes . No . 6 , from Hants and the Isle of Wight ,

had already 318 7 votes to her credit when the poll opened , and the further 715 she received made her total up to 390 J . No . 7 ( West Yorkshire ) started with 4 votes and finished with 3754 , an East Lancashire widow , who had one vote to her credit , standing next with 3739 votes , and a fourth London candidate ninth

with 3 686 , of which 877 were brought forward from May , 1890 . Another London candidate , with 2143 votes to the good , came out 10 th with 3 668 votes , and a Suffolk lady nth , with 35 68 votes , of which as many as 318 7 were brought forward . The

Essex candidate , who had 2088 votes in hand , increased her total to 3352 , and so secured the 12 th place , while the widow from Lincolnshire , whose name had been on the list at the ten previous elections , and who had brought forward 2782 votes , had at length

Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

Annual Meeting And Elections Of The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

ANNUAL MEETING AND ELECTIONS OF THE ROYAL MASONIC BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION .

The annual meeting of the Governors and Subscribers of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution was held at Freemasons ' Tavern on Friday , the 15 th inst . There was a considerable attendance of brethren , both Provincial and Metropolitan , and the ordinary business was carried through with sufficient

promptitude , notwithstanding some unfavourable criticisms of the expenditure , one particular item in the accounts to which exception was taken being the collector ' s commission , petty expenses , postages , and Stewards' entertainment . As regards these various sums the Audit Report discloses nothing

extraordinary , nothing additional to what has been approved in the past , while the critics were unable to detect anything in the accounts , as passed by the Auditors , which in any way affected the character of the Committee of Management for prudence and economy in the administration of the funds . Indeed , the

objections they raised were such as have been taken to these or similar items for some few years past , and they were met by explanations which have also been repeated from time to time . But , with the exception of this slight expression of discontent , the proceedings passed smoothly . The Annual Report was

adopted , and the vacancies in the Trusteeship of the Institution caused by the deaths of Bros , the Earl of CARNARVON and W . WINN were filled by the election of Bro . C . E . KEYSER , as Trustee of the Male Fund , Bro . HENRY SMITH , as Trustee of

the Widows' Fund , and the Earl of MOUNT EDGCUMBE , D . G . M ,, as Trustee of the Sustentation Fund . As regards the election , there was a considerable amount of excitement , and the report of the Scrutineers was awaited with anxiety by the friends 01 the candidates .

MALE FUND . The number of vacancies on this Fund as declared in February was 14 , of which 11 were immediate and three deferred , but five annuitants had since died , and one had had his annuity suspended , so that the number elected was 20 , the list of candidates including 66 brethren , of whom 16 hailed from London , and 50 from the Provinces and Abroad . In the result it

was seen that success was fairly apportioned between town and country , the former obtaining six of the vacancies and the latter l 4- Curiously enough , two brethren tied for the 1 7 th place , that is , for the last immediate vacancy , and the Committee , as they did tinder precisely similarcircumstances in the election last year , will

no doubt , decide to admit them both , and if so , they will assign the third deferred vacancy to Bro . WILLIAM DAVIES , of Last Lancashire , who stood 21 st , with 2511 votes . The brother who headed the poll was a new candidate—one of two hailing from Hampshire and the Isle of Wight—who scored

3537 votes right off the reel , the Bengal candidate , who brought forward 1198 votes , and raised his total by 226 9 votes , being second with 3467 votes . No . 3 ( London ) started with 196 3 to lls . credit , and finished up with 3287 , while No . 4 , who also "ailed from London , increased his 1066 votes to 3264 . Then

° Uowed a third Londoner , who , with a much smaller number of ° tes in hand , was able to score 3262 votes , and thus secure le fifth place , and then one of the five Devonshire brethren , Wflo had KO at starting and closed the day with

3 °° 7 votes . No . 7—from the Channel Islands—was M ° at his heels with 3062 votes , made up of 9 88 from av > 18 90 , and 2074 polled on this occasion , and one of the Y candidates from Kent stood next with 2972 votes , the bulk which were cast for him at this ballot . A fourth London

can-. ate came next , who began with 682 votes in hand , and had e good fortune to secure 2150 further votes , thus placing his b " % ure at 2832 . One of the North and East Yorkshire Vr > f ' na -d 2247 votes to his credit , obtained 597 more es ? and thus secured the 10 th place ; while the Suffolk

Annual Meeting And Elections Of The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution.

brother , who made his first appearance on this occasion , was fortunate enough to receive 2815 votes . The next in order was the Surrey candidate , who brought forward 2117 votes from May , 1890 , and improved his total to 2810 ; No . 13 ( London ) having 6 37 in hand , and polling 2117 votes , making

together a total of 2754 . No . 14 , also a London case , scored 2690 votes , of which 8 74 were brought forward , No . 15 , West Yorkshire , 2619 votes , and No . 16 , West Lancashire , 2602 votes , the last two being new candidates . For the 17 th place there was , as we have said , a tie , two of the West Yorkshire candidates ,

one standing over from last year , but with no votes in hand , and the other new , polling each of them 2601 votes . The Dorsetshire candidate obtained 2570 votes , and with them the 19 th place , and one of three applicants from Northumberland the 20 th place with 2553 votes . The next highest on the result

sheet hailed from East Lancashire , and polled 2511 , and in the event of the Committee arranging to assign immediate annuitants to the two returned at No . 17 , the third deferred annuity will become his without further trouble on the occurrence of the vacancy . The four next in order were all London candidates ,

polling 2492 , 2388 , 2220 , and 1652 votes respectively , and then followed a second Hants and Isle of Wi ght brother with 958 votes , a London brother with 8 90 votes , and the brother from Norfolk with 819 votes , there being three others who polled upwards of 400 votes , and who , like the other unsuccessful

candidates will carry these forward to the election in 18 92 . It is worth while noticing that none of the senior candidatesthose whose names had been on the list for five years and upwards—were able to secure places , the one who obtained the highest place on the list being the brother from Hants

and the Isle of Wight , who stood and will stand as No . 1 , and for whom a poll of 958 votes was returned , of which 79 6 were brought forward from his nine previous applications . It will be seen from the results we have stated that the polling was very close , there being less than 1000 votes difference between

the highest and lowest successful candidates , while there were four other brethren who polled upwards of 2200 votes . The number of votes brought forward from May , 1890 , was 18 , 8 77 , and the number issued for this election was 57 , 292 votes . Of these latter 5 6 , 8 3 8 were passed by the Scrutineers , so that 454 votes were unused or spoiled .

WIDOWS' FUND . - The polling for this election . was still heavier , the number of vacancies being 16—13 immediate and three deferred—and the number of candidates 81 , of whom two , however , were withdrawn from the list before the contest commenced . In this election London appears to have put forth a greater amount of strength

and with greater success , eight out of its 30 candidates obtaining places in the successful list , while the Provinces , with 49 candidates , secured the remaining eight . Nos . 1 , 2 , and 3 were all London , and polled 4261 , 4190 , and 4137 votes respectively , the first number including 2929 votes brought forward , the second 2036 votes ,

and the third 297 8 votes . No . 4 , from Kent , scored 4097 votes , of which all but 143 were polled on this occasion , while the next , from the Eastern Division of South Wales , who was the onl y new candidate who found a place in this section of the return , scored 3932 votes . No . 6 , from Hants and the Isle of Wight ,

had already 318 7 votes to her credit when the poll opened , and the further 715 she received made her total up to 390 J . No . 7 ( West Yorkshire ) started with 4 votes and finished with 3754 , an East Lancashire widow , who had one vote to her credit , standing next with 3739 votes , and a fourth London candidate ninth

with 3 686 , of which 877 were brought forward from May , 1890 . Another London candidate , with 2143 votes to the good , came out 10 th with 3 668 votes , and a Suffolk lady nth , with 35 68 votes , of which as many as 318 7 were brought forward . The

Essex candidate , who had 2088 votes in hand , increased her total to 3352 , and so secured the 12 th place , while the widow from Lincolnshire , whose name had been on the list at the ten previous elections , and who had brought forward 2782 votes , had at length